In 2021, we reached out to the owners of a derelict site on the Quay. Hidden behind a curtain of foliage is the facade of a late Medieval Merchant's house and we wanted to know more.
This year our work on the Merchants Houses on the Quay has primarily revolved around maintenance of the site and ensuring it does not fall into further dereliction. We continue to engage with the Heritage department of the Borough Council to try and access a funding stream that will allow a survey of the site and thus enable a plan to conserve it going forward. To date we have been unsuccessful in our funding applications but we continue to engage with the council to explore any new funding opportunities that may present themselves.
Coming to the end of the year, we returned once more to the merchants houses.
Working closely with the heritage department of the council, funding was applied with which to survey the site and plan for future work. Unfortunately the funding application was not successful. While we wait for the next round of funding to see if any are applicable, we continue to work on the site as much as we can and continue to raise awareness with the public regarding its importance as a historic reminder of the heritage of our town.
A number of derelict spaces in Clonmel are regularly discussed with council members and while adding them to the List of Derelict sites is an option, we choose to try and engage with the owners of one site in particular. The site contains the facade of two houses from 1650. We think this would be a wonderful site to be engaged with from a historical, cultural and promotional aspect. Discussion in December 2020 lead Tidy Towns to begin the effort to track down the owners.
Having found the owner and explained our ideas with them, they expressed interest in doing what they can to ensure the preservation of the facades which due to long neglect, have become completely over-grown. Worst of all, sycamore trees have taken root. Tidy towns are in contact with the environmental section of the council to see what can be done to preserve and promote this wonderful aspect of Clonmel History. It is really just the start of the journey and going forward we will plan with all interested parties for the security of the site.
